The Keeper of the Crystal Spring
Naomi & Deborah Baltuk
Penguin Books, 1999
ISBN: 0-14-027611-4 (paperback)
In the tradition of Marion Zimmer Bradley and Mary Stewart--a
rich and splendid tapestry of love, heroics, sly Saxon wit,
and those who serve the Goddess of the Crystal Spring.
The year is 1086, twenty years after the Norman Conquest, and
new Norman lords are squeezing their Saxon subjects mercilessly.
To survive, the townspeople of Enmore Green band together under
the wise leadership of Father Edmund and Sirona, the local
seeress who is teaching the healing arts to her foster daughter,
Aldyth. Beautiful, sensitive, and feisty, Aldyth has decided not
to marry but instead to dedicate her life to serving the
Goddess of the Crystal Spring.
Her decision is complicated, though, by her companion in the
resistance movement--a sexy Robin Hood figure who has vowed
to win her. She also attracts the attention of Gandulf--the
son of the hated Norman lord--a gentle handsome man who,
despite his upbringing, has an affinity for his Saxon subjects.
Their tempestuous love triangle is played out against the
turbulence of Saxon and Norman life and is dramatically resolved
when a mysterious stranger reveals to Gandulf a secret from
his past that will change everyone's future.
|
